Disney+ removed a pair of popular Thunderbolts* characters from new marketing material for the 2025 MCU movie. Closing out a roller-coaster slate of projects in Phase 5, Thunderbolts* gave fans an exciting team of heroes and antiheroes that joined forces for the first time under Marvel Studios. However, a few of them have not gotten the same amount of shine as the rest of the team.
Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts* debuted on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 27. Behind characters like Yelena Belova and Bucky Barnes, this team was thrust into the Multiverse Saga spotlight, bringing new levels of fame to multiple lesser-celebrated MCU veterans. The marketing material focused heavily on the reluctant team dynamic between these heroes, especially when comparing them to the MCU's Avengers.
Disney+ released a poster for Thunderbolts* to celebrate its arrival on the streaming service, featuring the movie's core group of characters. Unfortunately, only five of the movie's core cast members are included, as Olga Kurylenko's Taskmaster and Lewis Pullman's Robert "Bob" Reynolds are left off the image.
This is at least the second time a poster for Thunderbolts* removed characters, as another image from Disney+ took out Taskmaster on the right side of the shot.
Interestingly, the poster in this new ad uses imagery from past posters for Thunderbolts*, although the old ones included both Taskmaster and Bob next to the rest of the team. Bob slips in behind U.S. Agent and Bucky Barnes, while Taskmaster has Ghost and Red Guardian surrounding her.
Thunderbolts* is the final movie in Marvel Studios' Phase 5 slate, directed by Jake Schreier. Starring Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and more, the film highlights a team of antiheroes and former villains who are brought together for a unique mission centered around Sentry, one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. Thunderbolts* is streaming on Disney+.
The Thunderbolts' Future in the MCU
The end of Thunderbolts* featured a major change for the team, as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine dubbed the group the New Avengers, setting them up for an intriguing future. Unfortunately, that future will not include Taskmaster after her underwhelming death in one of the movie's first scenes, but the team still has plenty to look forward to.
Every remaining New Avenger was confirmed for the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, which will bring together dozens of MCU and legacy heroes for an epic battle against Doctor Doom. Outside of a potential legal battle over the Avengers team name, the former Thunderbolts are sure to set aside their differences with the Avengers with the fate of the multiverse at stake.
Also of note is a rumor that Yelena Belova may change allegiances and join Sam Wilson's team of Avengers. This could set up an interesting struggle between these two groups of heroes in Doomsday's early stages, even though plot details are still being kept secret.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
